THE PIERRE AUGER OBSERVATORY: RECENT RESULTS AND FUTURE PLANS

The Pierre Auger Observatory is a hybrid air shower experiment which uses multiple detection techniques to investigate the origin, spectrum, and composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. We present recent results on these topics as well as their implications for physics beyond the Standard Model, such as violation of Lorentz invariance and "top-down" models of cosmic ray production. Future plans, including enhancements underway at the southern site, are also discussed.